There are BMW M owners and there are BMW M lightweight vehicle owners. The latter will be very disappointed to find out that the Bavarian firm isn’t planning any hardcore, lightweight CSL versions of the recently unveiled M3 sedan and M4 Coupe.
While it is true that the previous M3 generation didn’t offer a CSL model either, BMW did build a lighter, sharper M3 coupe – the M3 GTS. Well, we can’t hope for something like that either, as BMW was clear about this: there will be no CSL or anything like a CSL.
Matt Collins, product manager for BMW’s small to medium cars, told Top Gear that BMW sees the new M3 and M4 as already CSLs in essence. “At the moment though, there are no plans on a CSL. Or anything like a CSL either,” Collins said.
“There wasn’t a CSL on the previous generation, and the way we look at it is like this: the CSL was great because it had this real focus on lightweight engineering. But we’ve already done that with these new cars. We’ve made them as light as possible – they come in under 1,500kgs (3,307lbs), which for a car like this is incredible,” Collins added.
He also wanted to reassure BMW M aficionados that the new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine is worthy of the M badge. “We think that any M engine has to be good enough to be true to the character of M, and this new S55 combines power (431hp), torque (406lb-ft/550Nm) and usability with the CO2 benefits of a turbo. Plus we’ve retained that high-revving character of the V8, so the overall combination is right for us,” Collins concluded.
By Dan Mihalascu
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